The East African country, with economic growth of some 7 percent annually, is leading in digitisation and urban development on the back of ambitious plans for smart mobility.

In 2016, Rwanda introduced a bus system with on board WI-FI while bicycle traffic has received active support and pedestrian pavements are currently being built.

International companies are making the most of vast opportunities therein to launch their modern mobility solutions, particularly in the capital Kampala, which is spearheading the smart city agenda.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as well as some key players from the private sector have launched the “Moving Rwanda” concept to soon commence the production of Volkswagen (VW) cars in Kigali, with a shared usage concept as well as with a training initiative for modern professions.

The concept aims at implementing environmentally friendly car sharing models with plans for the utilisation of electric cars as a further future goal.

Germany supports the initiative by establishing a digitisation centre for specialised personnel and knowledge transfer in the capital city, together with Rwandan partners.

Besides its cooperation with Volkswagen the BMZ is also partnering with Siemens, SAP and Inros Lackner to implement the concept.

“We want to provide modern training opportunities for Rwanda’s youth,” said Gerd Müller, German Federal Minister.

He said through the project, the government and private sector were providing local youth with future prospects in their home country, as mechanics for fleet maintenance or as software developers.

Müller noted African cities were facing major challenges with already 500 million people living in the towns. Projections indicate the number will double soon.

This highlights the need for sustainable and environmentally friendly mobility concepts, lest cities will drown in traffic jams, air pollution and noise.

Moving Rwanda is anticipated to address this.

“Such modern mobility concepts provide signal effects for all of Africa,” Müller said.

BMZ supports sustainable city transport, with currently more than 1 000 specialised and management personnel being trained and provided advanced vocational training opportunities.

African metropolitan areas including Accra, Addis Ababa, Lagos and Nairobi have been linked up with German experts from the fields of municipalities, the economy and science.

In January, VW South Africa (VWSA) announced an investment of US$20 million for the commencement of the roll out of VW’s integrated automotive mobility solution, a first for the Volkswagen Group.

It paved way for the establishment of Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda.

The first service to be offered will be community car sharing, which will launch in the next quarter.

This will be followed by a ride hailing service with some initial 150 vehicles planned in the medium term still in 2018. In 2019 public car sharing with some initial 250 cars planned will be launched and this will be followed by a shuttle service and lastly a peer to peer car sharing service is envisaged.

Awesomity Lab, a local software development start-up company, has been appointed to develop the mobility App. Volkswagen is also in negotiation with other potential Rwandan suppliers.

The Kigali facility will have an initial annual installed capacity of up to 5 000 cars. The current business plan assumes employment of between 500 and 1000 people.

“We believe in Rwanda and its people,” said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director of VWSA.

“We believe that Rwanda is uniquely positioned to roll out such an integrated mobility solution and make a success of it. This can be the role model for similar solutions for countries in Africa and other continents,” he added.

Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board said the project was in line with Rwanda’s policies to protect the environment, create jobs and reduce its trade deficit.

Rwanda has a population of 12 million, over 53 percent aged between 15 and 64.

“Our country is determined to become the leading innovator in Africa,” Akamanzi said.– CAJ News

Number portability enables fixed and mobile telecommunications customers to keep their existing telephone numbers when switching from one provider to another.

South African independent telecommunications provider, Otel, believes the further implementation of the principle of portability as envisioned in the draft number portability regulations currently under review is a welcome additional step in the liberalisation of the local sector.

Recent public hearings into proposed amendments to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA’s) Numbering Portability Regulations are likely to soon result in the ability of business owners to port their 086 and 087 call centre numbers.

The draft number portability regulations were published in the Government Gazette on 24 November 2017 as General Notice 1309. This opened up the public consultation process which culminated in the public hearings held during the week of March 12.

“Independent telcos have been unable to compete fairly for the inbound call centre business held by the large incumbents due to the huge investments corporate clients have made in their 086 contact centre numbers,” said Rad Jankovic, Otel Chief Executive Officer.

Otel featured among the presenters at the ICASA hearings.

“No organisation in their right mind will consider changing their inbound call centre to a new voice and data provider if they are unable to keep their heavily-advertised 086 contact centre numbers,” Jankovic said.

He said the negative effects of not being able to port 086 and 087 numbers was not limited to the call centre market, but extended to any large organisation with central 0861, 0860 and 087 inbound numbers.

Cellular consumers were the first beneficiaries of mobile number portability locally introduced in 2006. Landline porting was later introduced.– CAJ News

This new company unifies the operations of Hitachi Data Systems, Hitachi Insight Group and Pentaho into a single integrated business aimed at capitalising on Hitachi’s social innovation capability in operational and information technologies.– CAJ News

This follows Zensar’s extension of its managed partner relationship with Microsoft in South Africa in the Global Systems Integrator (GSI) market.

Indian firm Zensar is a leading digital solutions and technology services company that specializes in partnering with global organizations across industries on their digital transformation journey.

Sandeep Kishore, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Zensar, said cloud was now mainstream and their long-standing partnership with Microsoft gave them expertise to help our regional customers experience benefits from our Return on Digital proposition strengthened by this partnership.

“South Africa is a growth market and a strategic region for us. We look forward to enabling our regional customers to embark on the path of cloud transformation seamlessly and successfully,” said Kishore.

Zensar has a proven track record in facilitating business transformation for enterprises, and its cross-industry and solution knowledge will accelerate the journey to cloud for our mutual customers, said Microsoft South Africa Partner Development Manager, Frikkie Bosch.

“Our combined strengths across key solution areas and industry offerings will enable companies to successfully modernise their business applications, accelerate the digital business transformation and enable the agility regard to effectively operate in today’s world,” Bosch said.

The two companies currently work closely in the region.

Harish Lala, Senior Vice-President and Head, Africa, Zensar, said the partnership with Microsoft opened up new opportunities to harness the power of digital, with quick turnaround in business outcomes.

“We also aim to influence a marked increase in the adoption of cloud technology in the region through this partnership,” Lala commented.

The scope of the extended partnership will involve the Zensar team working with Microsoft’s recently-formed One Commercial Partner team to build a go to market strategy.

This will involve leveraging Zensar engagements and case studies on Azure as well as more than 100 Zensar Azure certified associates.– CAJ News

]]>http://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/03/16/southern-africa-benefits-from-enhanced-cloud-offerings/feed/0GSMA Kenya expansion extends benefits of mobilehttp://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/03/15/gsma-kenya-expansion-extends-benefits-of-mobile/
http://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/03/15/gsma-kenya-expansion-extends-benefits-of-mobile/#commentsThu, 15 Mar 2018 14:14:13 +0000http://cajnewsafrica.com/?p=25538From MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, KenyaNAIROBI, (CAJ News) – GLOBAL System for Mobile Communications, commonly referred to as GSMA, has opened new offices in Kenya to work closely with members and other industry stakeholders in the continent.

The office in the capital Nairobi is to enable industry and stakeholders continue to extend the reach and socio-economic benefits of mobile throughout Africa.

“It is an exciting time to raise our profile in Africa, as the region is increasingly vibrant and remains the fastest growing region in the world, accounting for 12 per cent of the world’s mobile subscribers,” said John
Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA.

He said the rapid pace of mobile adoption has delivered an explosion of innovation and huge economic benefits in the region.

The office, he said, would open up new and exciting opportunities for collaboration between the GSMA and members, other industries, governments, regional organisations and the international development community.

Mobile is a vital tool in delivering digital and financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to research from GSMA Intelligence (GSMAi), around 270 million people in the region now access the internet through
mobile devices, while the number of registered mobile money accounts has reached 280 million.

The mobile industry is already a key enabler for the regional economy and essential to building a Digital Africa.

Mobile technologies and services generated $110 billion of economic value in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2016, equivalent to 7,7 per cent of regional GDP – a figure expected to grow to $142 billion (8,6 per cent of GDP) by 2020 according to GSMA.

The mobile ecosystem also directly and indirectly supported approximately 3,5 million jobs in the region last year, and made a $13 billion contribution to the public sector in the form of taxation.– CAJ News

President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the policy in the capital Harare in the presence of captains of industry and commerce as well as other stakeholders.

He said the ICT policy would among other benefits curb corruption, help lure tourists and ultimately enhance service delivery.

“This policy will undoubtedly provide strategic direction and guidance for sustainable national economic development through the systematic and coordinated application of ICTs,” Mnangagwa said.

He said the ICT policy was thus aimed at transformation, growth,inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation and partnerships in the mainstream economy and put in place institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks in order to achieve its intended goals.

“It is therefore envisaged that all sectors of the economy and society at large will harness the power of ICTs for the development of our nation,” Mnangagwa said.

He said the policy would make the information technology revolution the basis for ultimately transforming Zimbabwe into an e-society.

Mnangagwa said e-government would ensure that services were available to citizens in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner.

“In addition, e-governance will help in the eradication of corruption through automated systems which remove bureaucratic impediments and bottlenecks,” the president said.

He urged government ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals to prioritise ICT solutions in their operating systems and spruce up their web sites.

“Let us all in our image, actions and service culture reflect that it is a new era, and ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business.”– CAJ News

by MTHULISI SIBANDA JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – ACCENTURE, the professional services company, has appointed Mngxati as Managing Director (MD) for South Africa.

He is tasked with the responsibility of driving the company’s growth strategy in sub-Sahara Africa.

Mngxati succeeds William Mzimba, who has been at the position since 2006 and with Accenture for 18 years.

Mngxati has served as MD of Accenture’s Health and Public Service business for the past five years.

He started his career with Accenture in 2000 after completing his studies and left in 2006 to pursue his personal interests as an entrepreneur.

He returned to Accenture four years later w.

Gianfranco Casati, Accenture’s Group Chief Executive: Growth Markets, said the new MD was familiar with the local market and delivered real value and impact for clients through innovative digital solutions.

This, he said, made him a great choice to lead Accenture’s business in sub-Sahara Africa.

“As country managing director, Vukani will help clients streamline, transform and grow their businesses so they are future-ready,” Casati said.

Mngxati, a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Information Systems and Accounting from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said in the rapidly changing digital society, many companies risked lagging behind unless they embraced digital technology .

“It is a journey that not only improves companies’ bottom lines, but is also a part of nation building, making this an incredibly exciting time to be able to help shape the future of Africa,” said Mngxati.

Inmarsat said research findings indicate that 95 percent of companies in the sector are actively implementing IoT technologies to improve their environmental sustainability.

The research conducted by Vanson Bourne for ‘The Future of IoT in Enterprise’ report collected responses from 100 large global transportation companies and found that 44 percent of companies are prioritising environmental monitoring as a key area for IoT deployment.

Moreover, 15 percent stated they had increased their environmental sustainability as a direct result of their IoT deployments.

A further 65 percent expected to do so in future, highlighting the effectiveness of the technology in this area.

Mike Holdsworth, Director of Transport at Inmarsat Enterprise, said the International Transport Forum estimates that heightening travel demands could see global carbon emissions from transport increase by 60 percent by 2050.

The figure that is based on the assumption of significant progress with the adoption of greener technologies.

Holdsworth said without such progress, the figure was expected to be considerably higher.

“The transport industry needs to get smarter if the sector is to successfully accommodate these changes and limit its impact on the environment, and it is clear that many are putting their hopes in IoT to help them achieve that.”

Holdsworth said IoT could have an immediate and considerable impact on the emissions of logistics companies today.

This information can be used to limit engine wear-and-tear and increase average miles-per-gallon (MPG), indirectly reducing overall emissions and minimising wastage by extending the lifespan of each vehicle.

“By utilising the IoT over a satellite connection and making immediate strategic adjustments, transport organisations will have a distinct advantage over their competition in achieving environmental sustainability,” Holdsworth concluded.– CAJ News

A report published by Forrester Research, a top technology industry research and advisory firm, made the announcement.

This was the first time Forrester Research evaluated data center hardware platforms for SDN and included nine players in the industry.

According to this report, Cloud Engine series switches, core components in Huawei Cloud Fabric Solution, had the highest score in the product strategy category and the third highest score in the current offering and market presence categories.

“We believe this is a testament to Huawei becoming a global leader in data center networks,” Forrester Research stated.

Forrester Research recognised Huawei’s market position in the report, stating, Huawei, has one of the largest data networking portfolios and retains the largest networking market share within China, with a strong presence in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

“It is the fastest-growing networking vendor in our evaluation,” Forrester Research stated.

Zhong Kaisheng, President of Huawei Switch and Enterprise Gateway Product Line, said, “In the future, Huawei will assist enterprises in building intent-driven networks with more automation and intelligence capabilities, facilitating their business success.”– CAJ News